Loved this loop! Trail is very clearly marked. Beautiful- Still snow on the ground, but packed down from hikers so slippery on climbing sections. About .5 mile is on a neighborhood road before you head back into the woods. Lots of streams for dogs to drink.

Absolute breathtaking hike! Quite a challenge with most of this hike being rocky slopes. I like to do this backwards where you hike to the falls vs. seeing the falls first. Wear shoes with good grip and slip resistant. Get there early as it gets crowded, and dont forget your cameras!!!!

Your legs will burn. But it is so worth it!!! This is the first "true" hike I did! I was supposed to do it with my bro, but at the last minute, his job called him, so I went alone! What an adventure it was! Who could have known that it was only the beginning of a bigger adventure! Two years later, I was in Nepal facing the Mt Everest!

We did this hike during the winter, and we loved it! The rock scramble on the way up was super fun. We ended up taking the Pole Ridge Trail to Piney Branch to Hull School back down to the fire road. In all, it was about 9.5 miles. Took us 4 hours total, and the only part that required some athleticism was the rock scramble at the beginning! Nice little day trip.

I very much enjoyed the loop trail. I did read previous reviews but was unprepared for the degree of boulder scrambling. Pushed me to my limit but slow and steady took the day. Met several nice people on the AT and passed the AT halfway point. Highly recommended.

Gorgeous view of the Shenandoah Valley!!! We did it carrying a 25lbs backpack on a 30 degree weather and made it all the way to the “v” point and had a little picnic right on the top with a 360 degree view. Ready for our next trail adventure!

Strenuous going up the gorge but definitely worth it. Great view of mountains at top when no foliage. Stop by family cemetery on fire road about a mile from parking lot to learn a little history. And get there early- parking is very limited.

Most of the trail is on rock, so it’s more difficult than it might sound. You start getting views a little more than halfway up. It’s been hazy the last two times I’ve gone there (in August), so the vistas haven’t been as great as they can be. They are certainly phenomenal on a clear day. Beware of crowds (including weekdays) on one of the most climbed mountains in the world.

The views were spectacular! I wouldn't recommend this to anyone who is afraid of heights. You'll be climbing and walking on trails where you can look over the edge and think: "If I fell right here, I would not survive". With that said, there is no reason you should fall unless you're doing something dumb. ;)

This was a great trail. We are beginners and found it well worth the hike to see the falls. They were completely frozen where we were standing on the falls. next time we need to complete the loop. Weather was getting a bit gloomy this day.